#beta read

[simonnebethel]

🩸Beta Reader Call for A Chant For Blood🩸

Would appreciate a boost if you can 👉👈 Huzzah!!! I have finally finished editing A Chant For Blood(for now). I am now officially looking for beta readers. I don't mind if you don't have any experience, just looking for readers and writers who enjoy fantasy and gothic horror ^^ all I ask is that you're 18+ and to read the content warnings.

Some info about the story:

🫀Title of Story: A Chant for Blood (The Helminth Mother Book 1)

🖤Word Count: 116k(will probably not send it all at once, as I know 116k can be overwhelming to some.)

🫀Genre: High Victorian Fantasy, Gothic Horror

🖤CW: Blood, violence, gore, mentions of fantasy racism, worms, body horror, disembodied voices, brief mentions of sexual content, manipulative characters, decaying corpses, mild profanity.

🫀This story also contains: Queer characters, eldritch beings, religious motives, a victorian-fantasy world, knight-lady character, blood-drinking character, magic, non-human characters, main character with mysterious heritage, ancient haunted temples, otherworldly portals, and many, many, worms 🪱

🖤Synopsis: Karliah Helisende doesn’t know how to feel about her current status in life. The highest ranking soldier in the country of Ostrein, and she can’t command a single army. On a particular rainy morning, her superiors give her a strange task; find the man who is killing citizens and leaving their bodies on the streets. She eventually finds the elusive creature, whose name she learns is Yorick Gwynplaine, but at the same time learns that he is just one of many people and monsters that spawned from mysterious portals that have been appearing all over the world. They both decide to work as a team; Karliah will find a way to take him back to his own world, and Yorick will keep his blood-thirsty hunger under control.

Karliah had assumed these tasks would be easy, if not for the Sanctum haunting her every step. An ancient temple resting in the Bauknan Mountains, she has known of it’s foreboding presence ever since she arrived to the gas-lit streets of Isarnan. It whispers indecipherable and enigmatic secrets in her ear, and only grows by the day. It’s sickness infects her very being and soon, affects her decisions. The people around notice her growing darkness, but fail to stop her as she digs her own grave. As the Sanctum’s incoherent whispers become intelligent mutterings, she pushes herself to finish the task that was set before her from the very beginning, no matter how many people she has to push away.

🫀Feedback I'm looking for: Anything about the story! I've only ever shown this to a few people before, so I want to know what parts are weak and what parts are strong. If there are any major grammar problems, I would like to know, although I think I have gotten most of them by now. I would like to know how the character's relationships work, and how certain plot points left you feeling. Also, how obvious some of the plot twists are because I feel like some are sort of..in your face. I will be setting up feedback questionnaires soon, so they will be ready for when you finish!

Check the #a chant for blood tag for excerpts and info if you want to see more before signing up!

Here is the google form to fill out. Your email will not be collected, and if you have any questions or need clarifcation don't be afraid to dm me or leave a comment ^^ Google Form link

#a chant for blood #writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr #my writing #fantasy #victorian #writers #Beta reader call #Beta read #pls boost #high fantasy #victorian fantasy #gothic #gothic horror #body horror

[browneyeddevil]

Growing Pains

The newest chapter of Growing Pains will be posted tomorrow my loves! A little midweek pick-me-up, I hope.

Summary: In a Panem where Katniss and Peeta have both aged out of the Reaping, their lives technically free of the wrath of the Capitol, they both struggle to find their footing in the harsh realities of Twelve. Change is in the air though, and things are happening fast.

Preview:

“You could get married,” Prim suggests next, only half serious. 

My answering laugh is harsh and mirthless. Yeah, right. I hiccup quietly, and a few tears slip out. And then a few more, and I’m too tired even to attempt to stem the flow. 

“Oh, Katniss,” Prim coos, surprise evident in her voice.

And I lose it. Because I didn’t think there’d be this much at stake. I didn’t think. And now I can’t even get married, the one avenue I always thought I’d have open to me. And because Gale probably hates me now and that friendship will forever be ruined, always tainted with the strained, awkward past. And whilst I’m at it, Peeta probably hates me too, which seems worse in a way, but I can’t be sure why. I must say something along those lines because Prim cuddles close to me.

“Nobody hates you, Katniss,” she shushes, “Dislikes you, sure.”

Read the rest of the story here

See you all tomorrow! I can't wait to see all your thoughts :)

#thg #thg fanfic #everlark #katniss #peeta #prim #mrs everdeen #rory #madge #writing things #beta read #i'm js so excited you guys #you don't even understand #i personally think this is the best chapter yet #in terms of quality #but also story

[yarnprism]

I have been struggling on how to word this, because this is the first time I’m doing a tickle request, but for Gabriel from Ultrakill, all I can imagine is after Gabriel kills the Council, he runs into V1 again, but doesn’t want to fight cause existential crisis. So V1 starts touching and inspecting Gabriel cause he’s curious, and finds out Gabriel is ticklish. I’m not sure how Gabriel would react to that, I’ll leave that up for you to decide :)

Okay I’m not good at writing fics because I deadass haven’t written like this since 2017 so I’m rusty.

But this prompt seemed cute so uh.

THE LAUGHTER OF AN ANGEL

Warnings : ULTRAKILL spoilers kinda. Fluffy tickles (never would’ve guessed)

Word Count : 1.3k (A short one I know)

Also shoutout to my friend @giggleeclown beta read this and gave me grammar corrections and such!! Please go show her blog some love I beg

Pure unadulterated emptiness. That was a fair description for describing how the fallen Archangel felt as he sat by the fire under a sky full of stars. The blood of the people he once both ordered and followed stained his hands: the council. He mourned not for the loss of the Father and the council, but for the part of himself that died with them. Gabriel stared into the flames, taking in the warm colors of the blaze in front of him. The crackling wood brought a sense of peace, like heavy rain in the middle of the night. He looked down at his hands, clenching his fingers into fists before relaxing them. The armor he wore seemed dull, almost tarnished, through his eyes, not wielding the splendor it was once made for. Gabriel sighed, looking back down at the fire. He thought back to the atrocities he committed under the name of the Lord. The thousands- no, millions he had condemned to suffer eternally. To drown, to burn, to be mauled until nothing remained. To experience death for the last time, in the worst ways possible regardless of how big or small the sin. “All in the name of the Lord.” He used to say, but the name of the Lord had long since wilted, only giving disintegrating petals of dimming light. At that moment, Gabriel felt sorry. Sorry for himself, the souls he condemned, sorry for the dying will of the father. He knew feeling sorry couldn’t change the present, but it was all he could muster.

A sudden whirring sound tore him from his thoughts. His eyes shifted and met with the glowing eye of the machine. He wanted to be angry, furious at seeing the thing that beat him twice in his own game. Now, however, he didn't have the energy for it. Gabriel felt more numb than anything, staring silently at V1. It stared back, the crackling of the fire being the only thing to fill the empty air. “Come to mock me, have you?” Gabriel started, staring the machine down. V1 didn't respond, only tilting its head in curiosity and beginning to approach the archangel. Gabriel looked down at the fire once more, expecting the machine to try and kill him. He’d be dead soon regardless, so what did it matter? Instead, V1 just stood by him, eventually sitting beside the angel, still staring with its mono eye. The silence was awkward, the gentle hum of the machine’s inner workings filling his ears. He grumbled as he could hear the cold metal hand of the machine grazing over his blood-stained armor. Logically, he knew it was just the machine trying to soak up the blood that had splattered onto him.

Admittedly, it disgusted him to think that something could be that focused on survival. Only focused on how much blood it can get. Strangely, he understood, V1 just wanted to survive like anyone else. That was its main objective, after all, its purpose. Gabriel couldn’t help but think back to that word: purpose. What was his purpose? Now that the council was dead, and he had practically gone against everything he was made to be, what now? For the first time since he was birthed from the heavenly light, he felt unsure of himself. “I envy you, machine.” He started. “You seem to have everything cut out for you.” The android looked up and tilted its head at Gabriel, stopping its momentary prodding of the angel's body. Gabriel sighed, staring back aimlessly before he turned back to the fire. He let the outer sights of his vision fade away as the fire caught his attention. The way the fire licked the wood it was given for fuel was encapsulating, he admired the wood as it crumbled and crunched down into— “eEEk?!” A squeak suddenly ripped from his mouth as he wasn’t paying attention. Gabriel felt his cheeks burn beneath his helmet as he realized just how undignified it was. He slammed his hand over his mouth, eyes darting down to the culprit at his side. It was V1’s dull claw that had curiously scraped against his exposed skin. The machine tilted its head at Gabriel, wondering why he had made such a sound. Before the angel could protest or move away, V1 inquisitively scratched at Gabriel's side, earning a yelp from him. “H-hehey!! Quit it!” He objected, quickly drowned out by his own incessant giggling as the V1 started to scratch at his exposed sides and tummy. An odd sensation filled him that he couldn’t describe, one that just made him want to laugh and laugh even though nothing at the moment sparked his humor. In fact this was anything but funny. It was humiliating. He shouldn’t be here, lying on his back laughing because of the machine's dull claws.

Yet, still he could do nothing but squeak and giggle like he were some mortal. He silently cursed the blacksmith who made his armor cropped, and he himself for accepting it. “Stahap thihis insoleNCEE!!” His voice suddenly went up an octave as V1 curiously squeezed a part of his midsection. It made an almost happy sounding whir at Gabriel’s reaction, taking it as a sign it was doing this properly. V1 had seen humans do lots of things, they were very social creatures after all. Though it remembered one specific gesture certain humans would do with each other as a form of playing, it never got a name for the action however. Though the way Gabriel laughed and squirmed, it figured it was doing something right, even if it didn’t originally mean to. V1 curiously kneaded its claws into the soft flesh of the other, earning a squeal. The Angel let out a loud, shrieky cackle as the tips of the machine’s claws provided just the right amount of torturous pressure. “N-NOHOHO!! THIHIS IHIS ABSURD!!” He shrieked as V1s ‘nail’ pressed and wriggled where his navel would’ve been, had he been human that is. As he writhed, he couldn’t help but feel a wobbly, almost dare he say giddy smile cross his originally hardened face. For some reason he found himself..enjoying this? The way the laughter poured from him in a shrieky unstable stream, the way his face felt like it was on fire, everything about this felt so…nice. Though a part of him felt admittedly ashamed, he shouldn’t enjoy something like this, only mortal children like this. And he was far from any child.

V1 curiously continued to prod and poke, seeming pleased at Gabriel’s shrill laughter. As its claws pressed just a little bit harder, it appeared to appreciate the almost screams of laughter he let out at even the slightest scratch. “I s-swehear Machine I’ll tehehear yohou lihimb from liMB—EEK!!” He shrieked once more, his wings fluffing up and twitching. A hoarse laugh poured out of him, a wheeze following suit. Though this was fun, he could feel himself growing tired as his laugh grew wheezy with the occasional shriek here and there. “S-stop-! St-STAhap!!” Gabriel pleaded before grabbing the wrists of the machine, forcibly making it stop its onslaught. V1 stopped, and curiously tilted its head at the now panting angel, making an inquisitive whir. Gabriel huffed and felt his body relax, the tension from before leaving his body. Oddly he felt..calmer, almost happier than before, and he had no idea why. He looked back up at the machine and quickly repositioned himself to sit back up, “I uhm..I’m not certain on what that was but..thank you…” He only got a slightly confused whir in reply, but Gabriel didn’t mind the simplicity.

#sfw tickling #ultratickle #sfw tickle fic #beta read

[shelvesuponshelves]

Hey, you! Writer!

Do you…?

have work that needs edited

need a beta reader

have a wip you don’t know where to go with

Then look no further!

Hi, I’m James! I work with a variety of works—different genres, types, fandoms. Come say hi! I would love to chat if you need help :)

#writing #editing #beta read #beta reader #beta reading #fanfic #fanfiction #my post

[thefairfeline]

Though she did not put it in the notes, I did also beta this fic

Since I contributed next to no actual help apart from squealing about how good it was, I am going to assist in the best way I know how, posting about it on Tumblr!

Shout out to the beta who actually did work though, I surrender the title of "main beta reader" to you.

#fanfic #fanfiction #bsd #bungo stray dogs #soukoku #soukoko fanfic #beta read #Bsd fanfic #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #ao3 #dazai x chuuya #dazai #chuuya #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai

[writerscommunity]

I DELETED A POST BY MISTAKE.

Recently, someone asked me about the fandoms I beta-read. And I ended up deleting the post by mistake, so here's the answer.

That depends on what you want me to focus.

If you want me to focus on the facts about fandomverses then i'd prefer the ones i'm a part off.

Ex: Reviewing effects in Harry Potter less renowned spells or character's personality.

Even if listed the fandoms I'm a part of, I'm sure I'm bound to miss a couple of 'em so, just ask me directly what fandom your story is a part of.

2. If you want me to focus just on the story line and spellings and basically things that doesn't require prior knowledge of fandom, then honestly, anything is fine

#creative writing#author#amwriting#fandom#beta-read

#creative writing #author #amwriting #fandom #beta reader #beta request #beta read #beta-read

[pennyellee]

Hiii, how are u? I am so excited for the new part of lacrimosa! And what does alpha read mean? Like the last reading process for any mistakes?

Have a lovely day <3

hiyaaa sweetling, alpha read is essentially what you've said but it's not the last reading! It's actually the last reading done by me before it goes to Bex to beta read the whole chapter ∞ ☼｡𖦹 ° . ⋆♡

Have a lovely day too baby ∞ ♡

#fic:lacrimosa #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts #yoongi x reader #beta read #alpha read

[sisterdragonwithfeathers]

You know the discussion about how making "people who do bad things" into a category that only inhuman monsters inhabit (and thus no "good, normal, human person" could possibly be an abuser, or a murderer, or manipulative) makes the world so much more dangerous because it is normal people who do those things and if you don't recognize that you won't be able to identify/confront those people in your life?

I think we need to do something similar with the conversation around "self hate".

I read a post today containing an argument over whether being self-depreciating is a prideful and/or selfish thing to be. I skimmed most of it but at least some of the replies seemed to come to "absolutely NOT and it is CRUEL to put down people who are depressed by implying that they are also being selfish and the whole situation is their fault".

And.

I get that.

It is a horrible thing to feel awful about yourself, and then additionally be told that that is you being selfish and unkind to other people.

I am not speaking from a place of chronic depression; I've never been there. Nor am I including in this argument physical disorders of the mind (due to illness or injury or chemical imbalances).

And I am, for the record, approaching this from a christian perspective, where sin, in action and in thought, is very real.

but

Yes, it is self-centered to hate yourself.

It is incredibly self-centered to think that you are the worst person on earth.

It is incredibly self-centered to believe that your problems are unsolvable, or that you specifically do not deserve help.

It is a narrow, false, broken idea to have, that you are somehow worse than everyone else.

It may not be prideful, depending on the whether the definition we are using includes thinking well of oneself, but it still places you in the center, if only in your own private mind.

If you are consumed with hating yourself (not everyone who feels bad about themselves is), you will not help others. You will not consider the bigger picture. You will not improve in your skills or your relationships or your faith. You will not give God the glory He is due, you will project your hatred of yourself onto others and make out that they hate you, you will lie to yourself and others and in so doing become the very things that you fear that you are. You will be useless if you refuse to do anything at all. You will be a burden if you merely lie down and wait to die.

The lies are wrong. People do love you. God loves you. This will not change even if you are a burden. The people who really love you will never stop when it gets hard. There is not and will never be so much wrong with you or such a big thing wrong with you that God can not make you perfect. Christ's blood, if you have obeyed the gospel and have once been covered with it, will cover all! Nothing can snatch you out of the Father's hand, if you wish to be there.

But the point I want to make here is that you can be suffering and loved and deserving of help even if you are doing something wrong.

Let's say your situation is your fault. That definitely doesn't lessen the pain. That doesn't change at all the fact that you need help. It doesn't change how much you deserve help, either.

You can be suffering, and in the wrong, and doing the wrong thing, and it Does. Not. Lessen. Your. Value. It Does. Not. Change. That. You. Should. Be. Helped. Compassionately. Lovingly.

"Suffering" or even specific to this conversation "Self-hating" is not a category of inherently innocent people! We are all messed up! Usually at least some of our suffering is own own fault! (not always. Listen to me. NOT EVERYONE WHO IS SUFFERING IS SUFFERING BECAUSE IT IS THEIR FAULT. Suffering is not an inherent punishment for your specific flaws.)

Just...let people be wrong. Let yourself be wrong. and work to change it. And still be loved.

#beta read #feather rambles #mom approved #I do speak somewhat from personal experience #I've beat my natural pride so hard over the head with a stick that I started missing and beating myself over the head instead #it went poorly

[apolline-lucy]

Is there anyone who would like to beta read my sapphic novella?

It’s 30k long. Lots of dialogues. A love letter to summer—a tale of loss, love, and the transformative power of human connection.

#TW // loss suicide depression eating disorders death mental illness #taod #beta read #beta reader #novella

[verryberrygecko]

Chapters: 8/? Fandom: Wednesday (TV 2022) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wednesday Addams/Enid Sinclair, Enid Sinclair & Yoko Tanaka Characters: Wednesday Addams, Enid Sinclair, Morticia Addams, Gomez Addams, Yoko Tanaka, Pugsley Addams, Ajax Petropolus, Bianca Barclay, Divina (Wednesday), Xavier Thorpe, Kent (Wednesday) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Minor Divina/Yoko Tanaka, Slow Burn, twin flames, No Tyler Galpin, Light Angst, Family Issues, Wednesday actually likes her family, One Big Happy Family, world building, Friends to Lovers, Platonic Love, Fluff and Angst, Abusive Parents, Good Friend Yoko Tanaka Summary:

“I do.” Wednesday looked at Enid. She knew she’d never told anyone about this, not anyone outside her family.

“You do what?”

“Have a mark.” Enid looked dumbfounded at her. “I have two in fact.” Enid’s jaw dropped and she sat up. _______ Enid doesn't even have one soulmate mark but cold, "I hate soulmates" Wednesday Addams? Oh ya, she has two.

SOULMATE AU AHHHHHHHHHHH

BETA READ BY @FuckingSeriously

now up to chapter 8!! over 11k words :)

#wednsday addams #enid sinclair #wenclair #fanfic #wenclair fanfic #soulmate #au #ao3 #beta read

[tigerbears]

Searching for Beta readers for my Undertale/Deltarune fics?

So far I've just been asking my friends for beta reading but deciding to search for more wider beta readers in the fandom.

(Decided to do so after reading this guide)

I've currently got 2-3 2-4 beta readers working on the fic, though most of them are just basically people who read it earlier. The one who's been the best at beta-reading I think wont be able to keep up with my one chapter every two weeks schedule, (and I'm actually considering making that just the "minimum goal" and just having a more loose schedule) so sending this off to find more betareaders.

Here's some relevant info if your interested.

The current fic I'm working on is a Snowgrave fic, so expect it to be dark and full of some angst. I've so far got 5-6 9-10 chapters written, at various stages of drafts/betareading. Also some CW/TW so far for this fic: Anxiety, trauma, guilt, grief, gaslighting, panic attacks, emotional/psychological manipulation and abuse, physical abuse (Thorn Ring), mind control, and suicidal ideation (Crossed out the last one as it was only in older drafts. May return later though.) While reading let me know if I need to add more. Expect the rating to be in the "Teen And Up Audiences" range on AO3, or at least that's what I'm aiming for.

This snowgrave fic is going to be Suselle centric, at least for the first section. (What? Need some stuff to lighten the mood so it ain't 90% angst darkness. Maybe 55-60% angst/Darkness, and 40-45% hurt/comfort, and some gay Suselle things)

I have plans for less angstey/more fluffy fics in the future, so dont worry if you want you can just get in contact for when I have less... dark fics... For these fics, two examples I have are 1: "A kind of ambitious post-pacifist Undertale fic I've always wanted to write that I'm waiting until I get some experience for" 2: "A few Deltarune prequel fics set before Dess's disappearance, the main one being about Noelle realizing she's trans because I love the headcanon and wanted to do my own take." (EDIT: Think if I'm ever writing this, I think I'm going to make this fic broader/not just Noelle centric. Probably going to start with Kris coming out as enby to Azzy.) Generally for my fics I'm aiming around the "General Audiances/Teen And Up Audiances" rating on AO3.

I just want some general beta reading for the fics I write. (just generally on everything). However, one thing I'm going to be looking for in later fics is anyone under the non-binary umbrella willing to do sensitivity reading. I plan for the Post pacifist UT & DR prequel fics to go into Kris, Frisk, and Chara's enby gender identities. (Examples: Asriel helping Chara realize their enby in my UT fics, and Kris coming out as non-binary at the start of my "Noelle realizes she's trans pre-canon Deltarune fic which would have at least one subplot about Noelle realizing she's trans" fic.) While I am trans, I'm not non-binary, so I'd want some sensitivity readers go over that and point out if I've messed up anything when it comes to Enby rep.

Feel free to include your first reactions while reading the fic! (from the friends who've beta read in the past, seeing their reactions were honestly the best part lol)

Let me know if you would/would not want to be credited!

Current scheduled: currently I'm just writing a back catalog of chapters for the snowgrave fic. Don't really have a schedule but I at the fastest I plan to release chapters at a pace of one chapter every two weeks. Once I've gotten the first three to five chapters beta-read by all my readers I'll likely start sending off chapters at that pace at least. I don't want to compromise my writing quality with deadlines. My only real goal is to finish/at least release the first few chapters before Deltarune Chapters 3-4 gets released.

If you want to have a snippet of my past writing, I've so far posted one fic on AO3 about Noelle coming out as trans to Berdly. (Though I honestly think I've done a lot more unpublished fic writing so I do think I've improved quite a bit since this fic)

Anyway, if your interested feel free to send an ask/message me on tumblr! (from there we can talk more about specifics/communication/ect)

EDIT: It's been a week and I've yet to get a response. Crossed out messages bc I've since closed them. If your still interested in betareading use the asks.

#deltarune #deltarune fanfic #fanfic #undertale #undertale fanfic #fanfiction #beta reader #beta readers #looking for beta readers #posts from tigerbear's tumblr #beta read

[twisted-stars-series]

Finishing up the front and back covers of the book!!! Ahhh I'm so excited

#dark romance #beta read #enimies to lovers #fantasy #found family #greek mythology #high fantasy #horror #indie author #new adult #mythology #art #procreate #digital art #book covers #dark aesthetic #aesthetic

[juliangreystoke]

Have you ever read a book and wished you could give the author some notes? Once the book is written it's probably too late, but there is a time for that, and the time is NOW! It's the beta process once again! Join in on the fun!

#beta process #beta read #beta readers wanted #ISO beta readers #2nd floor #supernatural thriller #light horror #supernatural #book #bookish #authortube #Youtube

[lady-grace-pens]

How to Kill a God needs beta readers for draft 3!

It’s been eight years since the death of renowned explorer Indigo Haze. It seems like everyone in the world has has made peace with his passing. Everyone except for 18 year old Allister Haze, who clings to his father’s journal to keep his memory alive. Grief has trapped him inside a comfortable bubble, and he isn’t willing to look beyond it to see how it’s causing more harm than it is good.

That’s when the journal goes missing at the hands of his twin brother Preston, who only wishes Allister would look to the future instead of living in the past and longing for what could’ve been.

Allister, distressed by his brother’s betrayal, uses this as an opportunity to exact revenge upon him by uncovering a secret Preston has been dangling underneath his nose. This launches the boys into a series of bloody betrayals, each one growing more vile than the last.

How far will they go to destroy each other? Could this be the end of their relationship, or is there a way for them to unite and become brothers once more?

—

Genre: A contemporary literary fiction with high drama and elements of a thriller. Upper ya/na. Underlying flavor of fantasy/spirituality.

CW: Death, grief, some smoking, drinking, strong language, depression, and therapy.

Point of View: First person, present tense, lightly stream of consciousness.

Includes: A bit of found family, a childhood friends to lovers slow burn, secrets, betrayals, wrestling with religious beliefs, horse racing, brotherly love and the bond of twins, a dramatic male protagonist with a plethora of colorful emotions, and much more!

Length: 240k words

Who/What I’m looking for:

General feedback, no particular questions. Looking at anything the reader wants to bring my attention to.

My ideal timeframe for reading is within 2-3 months.

Some level of experience with beta reading is preferred.

Anyone who is genuinely interested in this story and has the time to dedicate to beta reading.

Playlist

—

DM me if interested! Boosts are appreciated!

#wip: htkag #writeblr #writing #writblr #creative writing #my wip #writing community #writers #beta read #beta reading #drama #lit fic #fiction #family drama #original fiction #my writing #new adult #young adult #first person writing #all images are from Pinterest. I only created the moodboard itself

[pinxilla]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mòběi-jūn/Shàng Qīnghuá, Mòběi-jūn & Shàng Qīnghuá Characters: Shàng Qīnghuá, Mòběi-jūn, Ān Dìng Peak Disciples Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Shàng Qīnghuá-centric, Canon-Typical Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Implied Relationships, Slow Burn, Unreliable Narrator, Dubious Ethics

I take Shang Qinghua and give him backbone supplements and it dramatically changes the plot. 

ok fuck it im advertising my own fic. i wasnt going to cuz ! but any attention i recieve at all ever will encourage me to write so might as well. theres more to the summary but it took up so much room and it doesnt convey anymore than the one sentence backbone thing so meh. click on the link if you’d like to know more! 

#shang qinghua #moshang #fic #ao3 link #sqh #svss #scum villain #scumbag self saving system #scum villian self saving system #beta read #shout out to my beta readers for their indulgence #speaking of indulgence #this fic is completely for me! #i want more sqh content #i think hes funny

[danktrektho]

5 times Julian Bashir said “Oh Garak I could just kiss you” + 1 time he actually did

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39486180 pairing: garashir word count: 4034 rating: T+ fic under the cut

At the replimat, Julian and Garak are at their usual table. Julian is assuming his usual pose for such an occasion: leaning in, elbows on the table, hands clasped together in the air, wrists tilted so as not to obstruct his companion’s face, and smiling broadly. He laughs loud and scoffs louder, and Garak can’t help but think if his eyelids were a little bit lower, this would be a date. But it’s not, and he can’t get caught up in such fantasies. 

Julian takes a bite of food, he’s already mostly finished. He has a longer lunch break than he usually makes use of, mostly because he’s called away on emergency, but also because he is a bit of a workaholic. He’ll sometimes talk through his food, trying to hide it in his cheek like a hamster, or he’ll talk too soon after swallowing and his voice comes out deeper and choppy. This time is one of the latter.

“I’m sorry if I'm a bit distracted, I’ve been working on a vaccine for a disease from the gamma quadrant. So far it’s only jumped species to a type of ferengi beetle, but that means the ferengi are all the more at risk of catching it.”

“That’s quite alright doctor, your love for your work is commendable.” Julian looks down quickly and smiles shyly. Garak notices a slight flushing in his cheeks and he is captivated by it. Human skin seems so plain to a cardassian and he relishes the opportunity to see it color. He tampers down on the impulse to flare his nostrils. Suddenly he feels like leaning in, too.

“Thank you for saying so.” Another shy smile, this time with teeth. He sets down his fork. “But I don’t feel very commendable today.” He takes another bite of food. Garak remembers he is supposed to be eating. “I’m stuck on something, like a bad hang-nail.”

“Hang nail?” Garak inquires. He sips his red leaf tea demurely.

“Oh, it’s like… sometimes humans break a nail before it grows out, and when it does it can get caught on things and tear. It’s quite painful.” Julian takes a gulp of his tea.

“Oh, you humans and your keratin. It’s the toughest part of your body, yet it’s still quite weak.” Garak hides his smile by bringing his cup to his lips.

“Keratin… Oh Garak, I could just kiss you!” Julian says, throwing his napkin down on top of his plate.

His scales flush. “What?” he sputters. Julian picks up his plate and walks swiftly to the reclimator, swinging around their table like he’s doing a gravity-assist around the moon. “You just gave me a great Idea. I have to work while I’ve got the inspiration. I’m sorry to cut this lunch short, we’ll resume our discussion later.” He says, and then his long legs take him out of the replimat and swiftly to the infirmary.

Garak is left blinking in surprise. He shakes his head and drinks his tea.

Some weeks later, Garak has almost forgotten about that entire incident when Julian walks into his shop, rubbing his hands together in a nervous fidget.

“Doctor,” he says with a slight smile, tilting his head. Bearing his neck, and he doesn’t even think about it. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

If this were his fantasy, Julian would say something romantic here. Or maybe not. Garak thinks that’s not really his style.

Julian smiles, like Garak’s comment has sucked all the nervous energy from his shoulders, and he stands at ease. “I know you're busy,” He looks around, and the store is empty. Garak gestures about the room and gives him a look that says ‘really now?’ and Julian flushes ever so slightly in embarrassment. “But I’m afraid I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Really? And what does this favor entail?”

“I need to recover a file. One from during the occupation.” He steps further into the shop, pacing as he talks. “You see, a virus has recently jumped hosts from cardassians to bajorans, and i’m afraid nobody knows how to treat it; except of course the Cardassians.” “And you want me to help you recover this file?” “Precisely.” he nods.

“You’re not worried about letting a Cardassian onto your computer system?”

Julian titters. “And what would you find? Medical files? If I had my way, every species would share their medical knowledge. No, I have nothing to hide.” and he smiles as if that’s true about everything in his life. But it’s not. Nobody can know about his genetic enhancement. He hides his whole self behind that open smile, and Garak believes it. Everything about Julian screams ‘I wear my heart on my sleeve’ from his boundless enthusiasm to his shining ideals to his expressive voice and deep brown eyes.

“I suppose I can close my shop for a few minutes.”

“You think it won’t take very long?”

Garak indulges in a smile, one that shows his pride over his talents. “No, my dear.” The word doctor is conspicuously absent from that sentence, but Julian doesn’t notice.

“Great!” he says, smiling enthusiastically. The walk to the infirmary is short, and nobody spares a glance at the handsome couple they make.

The computer interface is easily accessible and Garak’s fingers glide over the blue buttons, working so quickly and fluidly that Julian has a hard time following his inputs. Instead he looks at Garak’s face, which holds a stare of concentration, and a slight smirk of satisfaction. He pulls away from the computer and smiles in a reserved manner. The smile makes his eye ridges quirk up and makes Julian’s stomach do a flip.

“It’s done. Before you ask, I knew which disease you were talking about. You’d be surprised what things a tailor can pick up.” Julian beams at him, and Garak’s world tilts off-kilter. “Oh Garak, I could just kiss you!” he says, and he flies over to the desk to take a look at the file. Garak clears his throat. 

The walk back to his shop is hard, because a part of him wants to stay there and see if the doctor actually will. When he gets back to work, his thoughts are distracted, and he pricks himself with a sewing needle. It doesn’t hurt, mind you, the needle is so small, but Garak briefly entertains the idea of going to the infirmary for it. He shakes his head. It’s funny that for a man who hates going to the doctor so much, he’s fallen for one.

This time months have passed and Garak has put the whole thing out of his mind, it’s safer that way. Julian walks into his shop looking elegant like a bird. “Ah, doctor! I’m afraid your piece won’t be ready for a few days yet.” Julians shoulders slump. “That’s actually what I came to talk to you about. I’ll need the suit sooner than that. I’ve ah, got a date with a holosuite.” Garak quirks an eyeridge up. “Surely a man of your stature can land dates with non-holographic women.” Julian smiles, clearly flustered. A voice that sounds like Tain admonishes Garak for the fondness overtaking him. “I’m, uh, actually going on a date with a man.” He says, testing the waters. He doesn’t know how cardassians feel about homosexuality, and even if he did he wouldn’t know how Garak feels about it. 

Garak’s nostrils flare and his neck straightens out. “Well.” He clears his throat. “Shall I make him a suit too?” Julian chuckles nervously. “You’d have to ask him, I suppose. I’m not in charge of dressing him.” Julian looks down at his shoes. He rocks on his toes.

“Ah but I am in charge of dressing you, my dear doctor. I’ll shift my focus to your suit and have it ready to pick up tomorrow.” Julian smiles, and it takes up his face like a crack in a facade, looking as sincere as it is small. 

“Oh Garak, I could just kiss you.” He says softly, before he even realizes it. Garak is treated to the sight of a true flush of his cheeks. Julian clears his throat. “I mean, thank you.” He nods like he’s confirming a decision to himself and it’s final. “I, ah, appreciate it.” 

Garak is frozen in place, held by some invisible force, and their eye contact sends electricity through the air. Garak is the first to break away from it. Julian looks down at his shoes again. When Garak speaks, it’s from a voice rough with disuse. “It’s no trouble at all.” He says. Anything for you is implied.

Julian smiles, as if to stable a wobbly lip. “I’ll see you tomorrow” he says, and walks out, limbs buzzing.

The next day, something’s off. Garak can smell it in the air. He dons his yellow tunic ensemble with matching shoes, and keys into the station’s security network, as he does on his more paranoid days. He takes the pieces Odo has gathered and places them together with insight Odo can’t match. There’s going to be an attempt on Julian’s life today. 

He walks from his quarters in the habitat ring casually as if it’s a regular day. He gets on the turbolift and rides it down to the promenade, but instead of turning directly into his shop he walks past the replimat and into station security. 

He and Odo are friends but Garak suspects he never likes someone unexpectedly showing up in front of his desk. Odo is suitably disgruntled when he greets Garak and asks him why he’s there.

Garak leans in conspiratorially. “I have reason to suspect that an attempt will be made on Dr. Bashir’s life.” 

Odo straightens up, in an imitation of a natural way he’s seen others straighten to attention, but his movements do not follow from bone and sinew and are too fluid. This does not bother Garak and has not bothered him for a long time. He wonders when he let his guard down.

“Well that’s very serious.” Garak inclines his head. “I knew you would see it that way,” he says, almost-smiling.

Odo looks like this information bothers him. He furrows his loosely formed brow in consternation. “What do you base this speculation on, exactly?”

“As you know, recently a former colleague of Bashir’s escaped from a federation penal colony. There has also been a rise in illegal cosmetic surgeries– Illegal because, if i am not mistaken, they do not perform background checks nor do they afford proper caution in order to complete the surgeries quickly. Recovery time takes about a day, or else you won’t recover. And finally, Bashir has a date today, with a man.” Odo scoffs. “That’s hardly enough information to work off of, and I’m curious as to how you acquired it.” “I like to keep informed about current events, constable.”

He scoffs again. 

“So, what will you do with this information?”

The constable looks flatly at Garak. “There’s nothing I can do. Any precaution taken would be an invasion of Dr. Bashir’s privacy, something the federation evidently cares a lot about.”

Garak and Odo share a moment of not-quite scorn at the way the federation goes about justice. 

“I understand.”

“Now Garak, I don’t want you taking this into your own hands. I’ll keep a close watch on Bashir if it makes you feel better.”

Garak’s eyes gleam. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” he says, and they both know that Garak will anyway, and that Odo won’t stop him, but even changelings can enjoy pretense, so he settles into his chair– melts into it, really– and resumes reading from his padd as Garak takes his leave of the room.

Garak’s shoulders do not slump, he does not sigh, he does not clench a fist or flare his nostrils. No, nobody can tell how disappointed he is just from looking at him. He looks the picture of casual, although his reputation means nobody will treat him as such. It’s a short walk to Quark’s, which is a good place to gather intel on visitors to the station. He’ll have to get back to work at some point though, as Julian’s trousers sit unhemmed on his worktable.

He sits at the bar, which is somewhat empty, but Morn’s there, providing a sense of normalcy as he chats with another patron. 

Quark steps up to Garak like a batter would step up to home plate, though he wouldn’t understand that reference even if you told him what it meant. He’s cleaning a glass but it’s already spotless and Garak can tell he’s just doing it to keep his hands busy. “Let me guess, a glass of kanar?”

“Rokassa juice.” Garak counters. Quark looks almost offended. 

“Coming right up.” he says with deference.

After a moment he sets the juice down in front of Garak, and then plants his hands on the edge of the bar and leans in. “So why are you really here?” He whispers. He’s never been good at whispering to aliens, who can’t hear his voice at a natural whisper; and so his whisper sounds quite loud in the morning atmosphere of the bar. 

As Garak answers, Quark's face forms a smug smile, glad that his assumption was correct. “I want to know who has the holosuite reservation with Doctor Bashir.”

Quark pulls back. “Well.” he says with grandeur. “I can’t just give out that information. It’s private!” Garak sighs exasperatedly and hands him a slip of latinum.

“Only a slip?” Quark complains. Garak just nods. “I was surprised it was a young human man, considering which program they chose. His name was Da-veh or something like that. Dayffe?”

“Last name?” Garak asks. “Appearance?”

“Let me look… Dave Jackson. He had red hair and a beard, and stood as tall as Bashir's shoulder.”

Garak smiles. It unsettles Quark. “Thank you for your assistance.” he says. 

Quark looks a little self-conscious when he says “Don’t mention it.”

Garak drinks his rokassa juice as he scans the bar and dabo tables for anyone of that description. There is no one, and not about to go on a wild goose-chase he finishes his drink and goes back to his shop to work on the suit. He sews a bug into the seam, feels bad about it, and damages it’s power supply so it will only last a day.

 It’s ready and in fine shape when Julian walks in to pick it up. He strolls in with a confident ease, one you wouldn’t know was meticulously practiced.

“Here’s your suit, freshly finished. Would you like to try it on before you leave?”

Julian tilts his head and Garak tries and fails to not look at his neck. “Yes, I would.” Garak hands over the clothes and Julian goes into a dressing room. The pants are creased fashionably in the front and flared out a bit at the ankle to swish when dancing and call to mind starfleet uniforms of the 2260s. The bowtie sits nicely on his collar bone and the pleats in the shirt make the outfit look nice without the sports coat. The sports coat, on the other hand, is the right length and style, but the arms are too wide. Julian doesnt notice it. He steps out of the changing room smiling. “It looks great Garak!”

Garak tuts. “The seam needs to come in a bit more on the arms. Step up there and hold still.” he says, gesturing to the tailoring block. Julian does so and Garak takes out his supplies. His fingers brush at Julian’s wrists chastely when he takes the seams in, and Garak feels proud of his work. The suit had been so finely fitted that it seemed to a tailor’s eye to stake a claim on the wearer, that someone had known his body intimately enough to tailor a garment specifically to his needs, and had done so with great effort and care. It was more effort, he realized, than he had ever put into a garment before. Julian’s smile was dazzling. 

“I swear, you always make me look stunning!” Julian gushes.

“I’m just glad you like it my dear doctor.”

“I do, Garak, I mean it.” Julian says sincerely and with conviction, as if he owed Garak some amount of sincerity and was making up for it in pieces. 

Garak smiles a thin-lipped smile. “How much do I owe you?”

“Consider it a gift.”

Bashir flummoxes. “Nonsense, you worked hard and I should pay you for it.”

“I insist.” He says gently, no real urgency to it.

“Well I insist on paying you for it.”

“It is simply a pleasure to see you out of that uniform for once.” he says chidingly.

Bashir rolls his eyes. “Oh, very well, but I will pay you back for this somehow.”

“Oh I have no doubt you will.” Garak says, eyes glinting with mischief. That earns him another genuine smile. 

“I have to go, my lunch break is almost over.” Julian says, turning to leave.

“Doctor,” he calls. Julian turns around confused. “Don’t leave your uniform here, or I might be tempted to change it.”

Julian laughs, and picks up his uniform to get changed back. Garak hands him a bag to put his suit in and he walks off with a spring in his step.

Garak puts his listening device in his ear near the end of Bashir’s shift and goes to Quark’s bar. Dave is already there, at a table in the back looking around suspiciously. Bashir walks in looking like a million bucks. He spots Dave, and he spots Garak too. He gives him a little wave and then goes over to Dave. Garak can hear them greet each other. “You look gorgeous.” Dave says, and he sounds like he means it.

“Oh, this old thing?” Julian jokes. Dave laughs right on cue.

Julian holds out his hand and Dave takes it, and he’s up on his feet walking with Julian to the bar. “We have a reservation for a holosuite.” Dave says in his Australian accent.

Quark gives them the holoprogram and they shuffle awkwardly up the spiral staircase. When the holoprogram starts, Garak can hear the crashing of waves onto crystal-white sand. Steel drums break through the sound of wind and Julian is laughing at some joke. Suddenly he feels very aloof here, eavesdropping on his friend’s date. 

The holoprogram is of a fine glass table for two on the beach, with rose petals and music and drinks and oysters. They’re re-enacting a book Julian’s never read. “Can we turn the safeties off?” Dave asks, and Garak’s about to bolt up there when he says “I’d like to catch a tan.”

“You know,” the doctor admonishes, “UV rays can cause quite uncomfortable skin cancer. Computer, safety off.”

“I once dated a doctor. He mentioned meeting you, actually.”

“Oh? I’m quite fond of my colleagues.”

Dave’s eyes darken as Julian goes to take a sip of wine and suddenly Garak has overridden the lock and pushed through the doors. In his surprise, Julian spills wine down the front of his new white shirt. He looks very upset.

“Garak, look what you’ve done. You’ve ruined my new suit.”

“It’s stain resistant. Look out!” Dave pulls a gun from under the table. Julian has enough warning to move out of the way when he fires, and he takes Dave’s surprise to wrestle him to the ground and knock the gun from his hands. 

“Why are you trying to kill me?” Julian says angrily.

“Because you didn’t stick up for me! When you were called as a witness to my hearing, you didn’t show up!”

“What are you talking about?” he says gruffly. “I only met you three days ago!”

“I’m Doctor Brandon frederick. Does that ring a bell?”

Before he can answer, Odo comes into the room and shouts “What’s going on here?!”

Julian looks peeved. “He tried to kill me!” 

“Computer, end program.” Garak says, not unhelpfully. The gun disappears. Odo takes “Dave” to a holding cell. 

Julian wipes at his clothes, although there’s no longer sand sticking to them. “You saved my life.” Julian says to Garak, breathing hard.

“Well I couldn’t let you bleed all over that fantastic suit now could I?” 

Julian laughs, it starts small and then gets louder and lasts a while. “Oh Garak,” Julian says, gasping for air. Garak braces himself for the words he knows will follow. “I could almost kiss you.” Julian says, shaking his head fondly.

“Well. Let’s put this whole mess behind us, shall we?” he says, gesturing to the arch.

After the truth gets out about Julian’s augment scandal, Garak thinks he could use a bit of cheering up, so he sets up a prank on Quark, in full view of the seat he’s picked for them to eat dinner together. 

Quark screams in terror as he opens his crate of beetles to find them shifting in crazy colors, some strange liquid pooling out of their mouths. “My beetlesnuff!” he cries. Julian looks at Garak incredulously.

“Did you replace Quark’s beetles with my test subjects I had in stasis?” 

Garak smiles. “Oh, Someone must’ve.”

He chuckles. “Oh. Garak, you’re brilliant. I could kiss you.”

Garak looks at him in a way that says “Then do it” But Julian isn’t looking at him, he’s looking at quark, and slapping his knee. So Garak’s gaze shifts to a fond one and he enjoys the fruits of his labor.

They’re back at the replimat. Their usual table was left vacant as everyone seems to know to expect them there. They’re arguing about Shakespeare again.

“I know Romeo and Juliet are foolish lovers, that’s the point!” Julian says. He’s working up an attractive flush in his face as the argument’s getting heated.

“Yet human works I’ve read seem to treat it as a template for love stories.”

“I haven't given you any romance books Garak, and subplots are not representative of the quality of main plots.”

“Ah and there’s the problem. Humans have whole books dedicated to love. Why, not a single cardassi book is not dedicated to the state.”

Julian smiles sardonically. “Really? Not a single one?”

Garak nods his head with a smug smile.

Julian stands up from the table. “You are so– infuriating! I could just–”

“Kiss me?” Garak finishes for him. Julian looks caught off guard. “Then why don’t you?”

Julian crosses over to his side, grabs Garak by his shirt collar, and pulls him up. He stalks off and Garak follows him, and when they turn the corner Julian is on him, kissing him roughly as if he’ll never be able to again. Between kisses Garak says “We should– ah– go somewhere– else.” Julian nips at Garak’s aural ridge. “My thoughts exactly.” Then he runs his hand down Garak’s arm and links fingers with him in a way that makes his nostrils flare and his neck ridges darken. Julian pulls Garak along to his own quarters and they move past Kukalaka and into the bedroom where Garak realizes that Julian had been preparing for this with the warmer temperature in the room, that he had been wanting this perhaps as long as he had wanted Julian. They’re necking on the bed, which feels absolutely exquisite to Garak, but Julian keeps breaking away to talk. 

“I never let myself want this,” he says, “Because I knew I couldn’t lie to you. And if we saw each other every day, came together in this way, then you would know.” He resumes his ministrations and after Garak doesn’t reply he adds, “Or worse you wouldn’t know. And I would want you to know.” 

Garak just holds his hand tightly and doesn’t let go. He doesn’t tell Julian how privileged he feels to know anything about him at all. He doesn’t voice how impressed he was with Julian’s ability to keep up the lie. He doesn’t admit that he’s wanted this since that first day in the replimat. He just enjoys it, and that’s the most selfish thing he’s ever done.

#Star Trek #ds9 #garashir #elim garak #julian bashir #constable odo #odo #star trek quark #pre Dr bashir I presume #post Dr bashir I presume #necking #kissing #bisexual julian bashir #mlm #fanfiction #my fanfiction #star trek fanfic #kukalaka #he is only mentioned but its my blog and i will call him out by name at any opportunity #beta read #julian x garak #im really proud of this one #star trek deep space nine #5 + 1 things #5+1 times